The luxury watch industry is in somewhat of a confusing and unpredictable place at the moment. You have the Swiss and German giants behaving even more conservatively than usual (with some obvious exceptions, like the four-armed Patek Philippe Ref 5520P). You have Seiko doing some interesting things out of Japan. And you have a myriad of small - some even micro - brands, making legitimately cool an...
Dive watches are one of the most popular categories in the watch world and, without surprises, Baselworld wrapped up with plenty of new models to sate aficionados If these comply with strict standards, you do not need to be a diver to love these utilitarian tools. They make great daily wearers on dry land too. Here are the 10 best dive watches that caught our eye at Baselworld 2019.Note: this sele...
We often hear that trends are an endlessly repetitive cycle. They come, they go and then they come back again. And, like or not, watchmaking cannot escape trends. Look at the array of luxury sports watches or gradient dials introduced recently. So what are the main trends for 2019? One one side we have two-tone watches (even on instrument watches) and on the other side, bronze cases. And what if b...
The eighth edition of the biennial fundraiser for research on Muscular Dystrophy will take place on Saturday 9 November 2019 in Geneva, where unique timepieces created by some of the world's best watchmakers will be auctioned. We took some time in Baselworld to meet its founder Luc Pettavino, President of the “Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies”, to discuss the new edition an...
In 2015, Patek Philippe stunned the luxury watch community with the unveiling of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524. Polarising in its design, it was easily one of the most talked about watches of the Fair. Four years later and the Geneva powerhouse is at it again, pushing the boundaries even further with its latest Grand Complication, the Ref. 5520P Alarm Travel Time. We were fortunate eno...
Baselworld 2019 has come to an end. As always, it was a rather packed event, despite the strange impression caused by the absence of Swatch Group's brands, and an unusually high number of brands presenting their watches in different locations around the official Messe'. If the mood was good overall, the future of the show was on everyone's lips with speculations regarding the attendance of the LVM...
In the face of the relatively ‘conservative’ panorama that reigned over Baselworld 2019, journalists and aficionados eagerly awaited for the embargo to be lifted on the heavyweight contenders of the fair – and Tudor. Although Tudor was confident that the star of the show would be its commercial (and polarising) rendition of a historic prototype, the Black Bay P01, the reality w...
There’s no denying that Oris is good at creating tool watches. Last year’s theme for the brand was clearly the pilot’s watch, with several very nice introductions, such as the Big Crown Pointer Date. For Baselworld 2019, Oris goes back to another theme it masters – dive watches. And to add another layer of cool to the equation, Oris focuses on the environment with two impor...
Oris continues to ride the bandwagon of environmental conservation and has recently partnered with Pacific Garbage Screening, a pioneering German organisation committed to ridding our oceans of plastic.? To promote the partnership, Oris is releasing a limited edition 39.5mm Aquis Date diver model with an aqua blue dial and a medallion on the caseback made from recycled PET plastic.Collecting trash...
At the start of the year, A. Lange & Sohne announced that 2019 would be dedicated to celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Lange 1. A total of 10 anniversary models are due to be unveiled this year, celebrating the key milestones of the Lange 1 watch family. So far, we have seen been treated to the Lange 1 25th Anniversary and Lange 1 Moon Phase 25th Anniversary models. Now we are getting ou...
Protecting the oceans, as well as water (and everything living in it) in general, has become a recurring goal for Oris, with frequent launches of limited editions of its dive watches linked to a good cause – think Aquis Date Relief, ‘Source of Life’ Limited Edition or Clipperton Limited Edition. Following its tradition of adding new colours and new complications to its signature ...
Bvlgari Watches never ceases to impress… Whether they create ultra-thin, record-breaking watches or ultra-feminine watches inspired by the Italian culture, the brand has managed in the past few years to have one of the most solid collections of the entire industry. Baselworld 2019 was again the occasion for the brand to expose superb novelties, as you’ll see in this video interview wit...
Debuted in 2014, the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo collection has emerged as one of the most striking watch designs of the past years. It allowed Bvlgari to break several thinness records: thinnest tourbillon movement, thinnest automatic watch, thinnest minute repeater and thinnest chronograph in 2019. Besides the addition of new complications, Bvlgari is also expanding the collection with new designs an...
Chopard updates the wardrobe of the L.U.C XP with an on-trend blue dial and a blue Merino wool strap. Although it is the simplest, most Spartan member of the L.U.C watch family, indicating just the hours and minutes, the watch is teeming with subtle details. Exploring the route of casual elegance on the dial, the specifications are identical to the 2017 model and the watch is fitted with the ultra...
MeisterSinger specializes in unique, single-hand watches and its entire portfolio reflects that - none have a minute or seconds hand (well, there's this one). Most of its cases have been stainless steel thus far, with a cool Black Line edition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated cases providing an edgier, sportier look. Bronze has been an increasingly popular case material with brands like Bell &a...
With no fewer than four world record for thinness under its belt, we thought that Bvlgari was going to settle down and enjoy its recognition as the ultimate master of ultra-thin… But we were wrong! Until now, the title for the thinnest chronograph watch (understand mechanical, of course) was in the hands of Piaget, with this 8.24mm thick watch. For Baselworld 2019, Bvlgari sets yet another w...
When Tudor first introduced its Black Bay Chrono model in 2017, there was a hullabaloo about incorporating chronograph functions on board a 200m water-resistant vintage-inspired dive watch. A diver without a rotating bezel replaced by a fixed tachymeter scale for the chronograph functions? For many, the combination of functions was unwarranted but over time, the initial animosity was replaced by e...
As part of its Baselworld 2019 collection, Chopard presents the latest livery for its L.U.C Quattro. Still equipped with its formidable, ultra-slim, four-barrelled engine, the changes are limited exclusively to the dial. Housed in a white gold case, the dial displays a discreet grey colour in line with the brand's pursuit of the restrained and tasteful aesthetics one might associate with English g...
World Time watches are among Patek Philippe's most popular complications, with a history spanning over 80 years resulting from the watches manufactured with Louis Cottier in the 1930s. In 1950 came the first World Time watch with two crowns, the reference 2523, which allowed the user to change the reference city when travelling. Fast forward, the year 2000 marked a revival for world time watches w...
As one of the hottest watches these days, it seems natural for Patek Philippe to ride on the?wave of success by introducing new references of the iconic Nautilus. Last year, we saw the introduction of the Perpetual Calendar 5740G model, the most complex piece in the collection. This year, its little brother, the Annual Calendar 5726 is under the loupe, with the steel-on-steel model getting a new g...
Bearing the code name Commando', in 1967 Tudor embarked upon an ambitious project for the US Navy to replace the standard-issue Oyster Prince Submariner 7928 reference. Although it never got beyond the prototype stage – as Ref. 7016 was eventually adopted to replace the 7928 – archival information held by the brand has allowed Tudor to recreate the look and feel of this legendary tool ...
The Oris Aquis is the cornerstone of the brand; a robust, no-nonsense, well-executed and well-positioned diver’s watch that perfectly sums up the brand’s philosophy. Available in multiple versions, with various complications (date, day-date, small seconds, chronograph, pointer-date or regulator), surprisingly this watch has never been equipped with a dual-time function. Problem solved ...
The name Autavia first appeared during the 1930s, on dashboard instruments made by Heuer. The name was born from the contraction of AUTomobile and AVIAtion. It would later be associated with racing chronographs and iconic watches made during the 1960s and 1970s. For Baselworld 2019, TAG Heuer is launching a new Autavia. Departing from tradition, the new Autavia Isograph Chronometer is not a chrono...
If you analyze the function of an object, its form often becomes obvious, was the credo of Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (founder of Porsche Design). “Form follows function” is something we often hear in the watch world but with Porsche Design, it is a matter of fact. Apparently simple yet perfectly functional, this has become even truer with the brand’s latest addition t...
More than three centuries after the invention of the sprung balance (by Hooke/Huygens), the oscillator is back in the limelight. Exploring new frontier and technological breakthroughs in mechanical watchmaking, the oscillator is considered the crowning glory for the most inventive and skillful watchmakers. Just a few days after the presentation of the Ulysse Nardin Freak NeXt (still a concept watc...
In 2017, Patek Philippe (sort of) celebrated the 20th anniversary of its iconic yet entry-level sports watch, the Aquanaut, by presenting an oversized “Jumbo” model in white gold with a blue dial, the reference 5168G-001. With its case size increased by 2mm and its precious metal case, it was a bit of a controversial piece. Well, there’s a new version of the Aquanaut 5168G in tow...
The classic Patek Philippe hand-wound chronograph immediately comes to mind to any collector thinking about high-end chronographs. The 5070 (based on a Lemania ebauche for Patek Philippe) was presented in 1998. It was replaced by the reference 5170 and its in-house, CH 29-535 hand-wound movement (that was launched the year before in a ladies’ watch). At Baselworld 2019, Patek has just unveil...
This is it, the list of new watches at Patek Philippe has been revealed for the 2019 Collection. While we’ve already seen the introduction of a new regulator in rose gold, there are several interesting watches, including this brand new Calatrava – design-wise, material-wise and complication-wise. Meet the Patek Philippe Calatrava Weekly Calendar 5212A, a surprising, retro-styled and qu...
Although bronze cases have become almost mainstream these days, there is one brand they will always be most associated with: Panerai. It seems fitting then that this year, as the Florentine brand establishes the Submersible as its own stand-alone collection, we see the introduction of a new Panerai Submersible Bronzo, under the reference PAM00968. Building on the legacy of its forebearers, it inco...
While the Calatrava collection mostly comprises simple, 3-hand watches (automatic or not, with or without date), it barely features complications… Except that one watch that is so unique in the collection, first because of its display and unique combination of complications, but also because of its movement itself (at least, back when it was introduced). As a preview to what will come at Bas...